A Written Destiny ||A Music Freaks Fantasy AU

Chapter Thirteen: A New Destiny (FINALE)

"Well... I'm glad you're here... I sincerely thought you were dead back there."

"Not to worry. I'm here now," chuckled Star.

The brilliant glow of the sunset emitted a bright amber luminosity against their faces, as they stared into the melting sun. Oranges splashed across the vivid sky, and the sun dissolved into the horizon like melting butter.

Both were sitting on an ebony wood bench, talking the night away as the sun sunk lower and lower into the mountains. A large cliff looked over a massive spanse of land that stretched from horizon to horizon.

Laura laughed. A real laugh. Something Star hadn't heard before. "That's good... I'm just glad you're alive, you know."

Just those few words put a smile on Star's face. To any other person, it might've seemed like a simple kind gesture, but for some reason, it seemed more than that to Star. She fell silent for a moment, staring into the sky as she sank into deep thought.

"Crazy day, huh?" Laura said, voice slicing through the silence.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah... definitely crazy," she agreed. She couldn't help but get distracted by Laura's features that were lit a fiery orange from the sunset.

"Crazy..." she repeated, and she felt like a sudden brick hit her chest.

"Zander." Unwillingly, tears sprung at the corners of her eyes, and she felt her heart grow heavy at the thought of him.

"He's gone... Dead..." she murmured in a hollow voice.

Laura turned and tilted her head at her as Star frantically wiped tears from her eyes. She couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed to just have someone simply staring at her as she cried. But as she reached to wipe another tear, she was taken by surprise as Laura gently grabbed her hand, letting the tears fall.

"Don't be embarrassed about crying," she said, looking at her in the eye. The golden warmth from the sunset made her papery skin glow. "Sadness is natural to humanity."

"B-But why did it have to be him?" Star shook violently as more tears rolled down her cheeks. "It could've been anyone, but it just had to be Z-Zander..."

"Death always comes for the best of us. Sometimes it comes earlier for others. It's a tragic thing, really, but death always has its purpose."

"How can you speak of it so calmly?" asked Star in disbelief. "Zander... His death was my fault! If I hadn't gotten stuck in this world... Gotten in so much mischief, he probably would've still lived!"

"Really? Is that what you think?" Laura smiled and shook her head. "Fate cannot be thwarted. As a writer, you of all people should know that. You guys always spend so much time plotting your stories and characters, just for them to die in the end."

Star couldn't help but laugh through her tears. "It sounds like you speak from experience."

"Eh. I've read one too many books where the writer kills off the entire main cast."

"Well, as a writer myself, I can confirm that some of us like to be a bit sadistic to our characters," said Star.

Laura sighed, fixing her eyes on the scenery. "Perhaps that's why Amelie's ending became that way... It's quite crazy, really. You wouldn't expect so much magic to be carried in a simple book."

"Are you serious?" Star grinned. "Books always carry the best magic! Stories are just as powerful, don't you think?"

Laura stole a glance at her, and then returned her eyes to the sunset. "Well, I suppose stories do contain magic in their own way. But... there are other more important things. Love. Friendship. Balance. Faith. Emotions always seem to pale in comparison with stories."
"I suppose you're right..." said Star regretfully. She took out the book of destiny and began skimming through the pages absentmindedly. Her fingers brushed the ink and worn out pages. "I honestly don't know what to do with it now... I'm afraid someone might steal it if I guard over it myself. But I can't trust anyone with it either."

She looked down. "It's such a beautiful offering, yet a dangerous weapon..."

"You just described life in," Laura counted in her fingers. "Nine words."

Star laughed. "Nine words is a lot."

"You think?"

"Oh, I know," she replied, "after dealing with this book, I've come to understand the real power of just ink and paper. Words. How just words can twist someone's life like that."

"Like how Esme did," Laura nodded.

"Esme's a good writer... she wrote her character well. Too well."

"You're a good writer too," she smiled. There it was again. That nice smile.

"You think?"

"Oh, I know," Laura repeated Star's previous words, making her laugh.

"It's good to know that people like my writing... it hasn't been so easy. Being the daughter of two star singers... surely that means their daughter will be a star singer too!"

She paused, absorbing the warm illumination from the sun as it slowly dipped in the dazzling sky. The light zephyr swept through her hair, making her look like she was in a movie.

"No, I'm a writer. Not a singer," she heaved a sigh. "But... I'm glad there are people out there that accept me for who I am. You don't have to be a singer to be a star, you know."

"Yeah, I do know about that," Laura pondered, "all stars look the same, but up close, they're actually very different. The only reason why they all seem the same is because each burns with beauty. And you know, stars shine brighter in the dark."

Star fell silent, discreetly impressed by Laura's words. "It's just... I've always wondered what the real reason was behind my name. Did my parents expect me to be a singing star? Or... just any star? Maybe even the type of star you were talking about?"

"I think it's up to you to decide," Laura said softly. "It's your life after all. You're the one guiding yourself."

"It's hard, though," Star admitted. "When you're a kid, you're expected to do this and that, and I never realized how easy it was to just follow orders. But when you're introduced to freedom... Well, it's a whole other thing. Sometimes I just wish I can rewrite my whole destiny and start over..."

"You can."

"Huh?" she turned.

"You can," Laura repeated, "you can still rewrite your destiny. Maybe not literally, but it's never too late to start anew."

Star shook her head, a wistful smile crossing her lips. "I've already made too many mistakes... I think I've already gone too far in."

"Hey."

Laura bent down so that she was in front of Star, looking up at her with her steady, yellow gaze.

"Nobody's controlling your life, you know. Nobody's writing your destiny. That stuff is behind us now. What matters now is for you to make your own decisions, and create your own destiny. The choices you made in the past can impact your future greatly, but it is never irreversible. It's up to you if you want to take that chance and make it right again."

She stood up, and gave that smile of hers once again. Her hand suddenly reached down, waiting for Star to take it.

"So, if you're ready... We can start our own destinies together, yeah?"

So, this was it. A new chance. A new chance to start over again. So simple. So easy, like it was nothing.

But then again... nobody ever set the rules of life. Much less my life. This is my destiny to live - Star Alabama Simpleton's destiny. My story. Sure, stories have endings, and this one had plenty of losses and obstacles, but... I guess every ending opens up to a new beginning, huh?

She looked up into those bright, traffic yellow eyes of Laura's, and slowly, a small smile crept up her face.

Well, whatever happened, whether it be an ending or a new beginning, Star knew that she'd be happy to accept whatever came her way. After all, who wrote her destiny? It was her own to live.

Star took Laura's hand as she raised herself from the bench.

"I'm ready."

Fin.